As my suite mates and I were all sitting in our common room several days ago, an interesting conversation came up. The conversation began with the discussion of our workload, having being different majors. Living in a suite of six girls is hard, living in a suite of six opinionated girls is even harder. Two of my suite mates are biology majors, another geology, another accounting with the next being business and I English. With different majors comes different views, different goals, different personalities. It all started when one of my suite mates had begun talking about the “stereotypical English major,” that of which was described as a “word snob who had an easy major.” I found this view quite intriguing. I have heard our major be described as “easy” often, and boy I wish it was. English is a challenge, never having the “right answer,” always having to dig deeper for an analysis that may not even be there. It’s a shame that some students do not give English majors credit. Personally, I give all majors, especially science and math majors a world of credit, having struggled with the subjects my entire academic career.
I then asked my suite mate what she had meant by such a definition. She retorted with the fact that most English majors were seemingly stuck up, being very involved with reading and outsmarting people and also having an arrogance about them. I took no offense to this, however, because yes, I do enjoy reading. I enjoy a good book and expanding my knowledge with various new words and ideas and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
This conversation reminded me of one I heard today in another one of my classes. Two girls were talking loudly about how the English majors here at Geneseo were “snobs and thought they were much smarter than other majors.” Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I in no way find this accurate. I have never once heard a fellow English major state they were smarter than any other person simply because they were in fact an English major. I must admit, I hear comments like this regularly. Between friends and family back home, or other students within the college, English majors take quite a verbal beating for their choice in majors. It’s pathetic. How does an English major differ from a biology major, an anthropology major, a Spanish major, besides for the obvious material we study?
Anyway, I found these arguments interesting and figured I’d share in a post, expressing the frustrations to my fellow English majors, with whom I’m sure have had one if not several similar things happen to them. Someday I hope that people give all majors the credit they all deserve, but until then English majors, ignore the blows, we know that we break the “stereotype.”